Fears Putin will unleash chemical weapons after losing key region in Ukraine, ex-Nato boss warns

Fears are rising Vladimir Putin could launch deadly chemical weapons on his enemies as the war with Ukraine continues to unravel as UK-supplied weapons were used

Vladimir Putin is feared to be preparing to launch chemical weapons on his enemies as the situation continues to unravel.

Reports in Ukraine suggested the country fired UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles at a Russian presidential facility with an “underground control room” in Kursk region - where Kim Jong Un’s commanders were holed up alongside Russian top brass. Today, it was reported the Kremlin’s desperate attempts to take back the region could lead to him reaching for his supply of chemical weapons.

Ex-Nato commander Hamish de Bretton-Gordon warned: “Putin is absolutely rattled. He could have lost up to 700,000 soldiers already. Now, with Ukraine hitting back using US ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles, he knows his forces in Kursk are sitting ducks.”

The Russian despot today launched a revenge attack on Ukraine after the country hit a Russian site using British-made missiles. Ukrainian authorities said this morning the Russian military launched an attack on Dnipro using multiple types of missiles, including an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), reportedly the first used on the battleground.

It comes as Moscow's ambassador claimed Britain is now "directly involved" in the Ukraine war, after its Storm Shadow missile was used inside Russia. Andrei Kelin told Sky News : "Britain and UK is now directly involved in this war, because this firing cannot happen without NATO staff, British staff as well. I can say easily that we have plenty of mercenaries from different countries that are fighting right now on the side of Ukraine."

The news comes amid heightened tensions as Kremlin sources also briefed of the possibility of an attack on a US airbase in Poland – an act of aggression that would almost certainly trigger a wider confrontation between NATO countries and Putin's war machine. While the range of an ICBM would seem excessive for use against Ukraine, such missiles are designed to carry nuclear warheads, and the use of one would serve as a chilling reminder of Russia’s nuclear capability and a powerful message of potential escalation.

The attack comes two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a revised nuclear doctrine to formally lower the threshold for the country’s use of nuclear weapons. Putin has previously warned the U.S. and other NATO allies allowing Ukraine to use Western-supplied longer-range weapons to hit Russian territory would mean Russia and NATO are at war.